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SMALL FRENCH BUILDINGS

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SMALL
FRENCH BUILDINGS

THE ARCHITECTURE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
COMPRISING COTTAGES, FARMHOUSES, MINOR CHATEAUX OR MANORS

WITH THEIR FARM GROUPS
SMALL TOWN DWELLINGS, AND A FEW CHURCHES

LEWIS A/ COFFIN, Jr., HENRY M. POLHEMUS
and ADDISON F. WORTHINGTON

NEW YORK

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

1921

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PRINTED AT

THE SCRIBNER PRESS

NEW YORK, U. S. A.

CONTENTS

PAGE

Small French Buildings *

Cottages ■ • ->

Churches and Chapels . 6l

Town Houses . 73

Chateaux, Manors, and Farm Groups IX5

Details 235

ILLUSTRATIONS

COTTAGES
Plate i. Hamlet near L'Amaury, Seine-et-Oise Frontispiece

PAGE

Plate 2. Shop at Concarneau, Finistere . 7

Plate 3. Brittany cottage -. 9

Plate 4. Typical old Brittany cottage 11

Plate 5. Cottage near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure 13

Plate 6. Farmer's cottage near Dieppe, Seine-Inferieure 15

Plate 7. Stone cottages at Conches, Eure ' 17

Plate 8. Roadside cottage near Beuzeville, Eure 19

Plate 9. Cottage at Luneray, Seine-Inferieure 19

Plate 10. Thatched roof Normandy cottage in typical setting 21

Plate ii. Cottage near Totes, Seine-Inferieure 23

Plate 12. Cottage near Totes, Seine-Inferieure 23

Plate 13. Farm cottage near Beaufay, Sarthe 25

Plate 14. Cottage near Totes, Seine-Inferieure 25

Plate 15. Farm cottage near Beaufay, Sarthe 27

Plate 16. Roadside cottage near Lisieux, Calvados 29

Plate 17. Thirteenth-century house at La Saussaye 31

Plate 18. Hamlet near L'Amaury, Seine-et-Oise 23

Plate 19. Cottage near Amfreville, Eure 23

Plate 20. Farm at Bieville-en-Ange, Calvados 35

Plate 21. Roadside cottage near Authon, Eure-et-Loir 35

Plate 22. Hamlet near Yerville, Seine-Inferieure 37

Plate 23. Cottage near Quievercourt, Seine-Inferieure 37

vii

ILLUSTRATIONS

Plate 24
Plate 25
Plate 26
Plate 27
Plate 28
Plate 29
Plate 30
Plate 31
Plate 32
Plate 23
Plate 34
Plate 35
Plate 36

Cottage near Melamare, Seine-Inferieure 39

Village near Authon, Eure-et-Loir 41

Cottage on the Dordogne, near St. Cyprien 43

An entrance to Montfort, Seine-et-Oise 45

Village street, Montfort, Seine-et-Oise 45

Cottage near Damville, Eure 47

Cottage of Savigny, Manche 49

Cottage near St. Jacques, Plomb du Cantal 51

Farmhouse at Marolles, Calvados 53

House in the Dordogne Valley 53

A southern village 55

Cottage near Ste. Foy-la-Grande, Gironde 57

Cottage near Bergerac, Dordogne 57

CHAPELS

Plate 37. Chapel at Romorantin, Loir-et-Cher 61

Plate 38. Farm chapel near Brecy, Calvados . 61

....... 65

....... 67

■ 67

• 69

........ 69

Plate 39. Chateau chapel at Millan^ay, Loir-et-Cher

Plate 40. St. Leger-en-Yvelines, Seine-et-Oise

Plate 41. Hamlet near Concarneau, Finistere

Plate 42. Church at Vaucelle, Calvados

Plate 43. Church at Daoulas, Finistere

Plate 44. Pont Audemer, Eure

Plate 4^. Chapel at Chateau Gratot, near Coutances, Manche

Plate 46. Church at Noisy-sur-Oise 71

TOWN HOUSES

Plate 47. Shop at Landerneau, Finistere 75

Plate 48. House at Landerneau, Finistere • 77

Plate 49. House at Landerneau, Finistere 79

viii

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Plate 50. Hotel des Trois Piliers, Landerneau, Finistere 79

Plate 51. House at Hennebont, Morbihan - 81

Plate 52. x^uray, Morbihan 83

Plate 53. Le Mans, Sarthe 85

Plate 54. On the ramparts, Mont St. Michel, Manche 87

Plate 55. Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir 87

Plate ^6. Houses at Conches, Eure-et-Loir 89

Plate 57. House at Compiegne, Oise 91

Plate 58. Old house at Mennetou-sur-Cher, Loir-et-Cher 93

Plate 59. House at Verneuil, Eure 95

Plate 60. An old town house 97

Plate 61. Restaurant at Etampes, Seine-et-Oise 99

Plate 62. House at Beaulieu, Correze .101

Plate 63. House at Couches-les-Mines, Saone-et-Loire 103

Plate 64. House at Arnay-le-Duc, Cote-d'Or 105

Plate 65. Pont Audemer, Eure 105

Plate 66. Caudebec-en-Caux, Seine-Inferieure 107

Plate 67. House between church buttresses, La Charite, Nievre 107

Plate 68. Street at Conches, Eure 109

Plate 69. House at Arnay-le-Duc, Cote-d'Or 109

Plate 70. House at Arnay-le-Duc, Cote-d'Or 1 1 1

Plate 71. House at Arnay-le-Duc, Cote-d'Or 113

CHATEAUX, MANORS, AND FARM GROUPS

Plate 72. Entrance to manor farmyard near Demigny, Saone-et-Loire 119

Plate 73. Pigeon-house, manor near Demigny, Saone-et-Loire 121

Plate 74. Garden-house near Hennebont, Morbihan 123

Plate 75. Chateau Gratot, near Coutances, Manche 125

Plate 76. Garden-house near Hennebont, Morbihan 125

Plate 77. Le manoir de Rouazle, Finistere 127

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Plate 78. Farm on Blaret River above Hennebont, Morbihan 129

Plate 79. House at Guiscard 129

Plate 80. House near Mercoeur, Correze 131

Plate 81. Farmhouse near St. Cyprien, Dordogne Valley 133

Plate 82. House at Brion, Saone-et-Loire ....... 135

Plate 83. Farmhouse at St. Pierre-le-Viger, Seine-Inferieure 137

Plate 84. Manor at Sainte-Marie-aux-Anglais, Calvados 139

Plate 85. House at Esclarelles, Seine-Inferieure 141

Plate 86. Manor near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure 141

Plate 87. Farmyard near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure ' 143

Plate 88. Entrance to farm near Neufchatel 143

Plate 89. Manor farmyard near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure 145

Plate 90. Farmhouse near Lisieux, Calvados 145

Plate 91. Farmyard side of manor near Bures, Seine-Inferieure 147

Plate 92. Manor gate near Bures, Seine-Inferieure 147

Plate 93. Farmyard, manor near Bures, Seine-Inferieure 149

Plate 94. Farm buildings, manor near Bures, Seine-Inferieure 149

Plate 95. Farm group near Neufchatel, Seine-Inferieure 151

Plate 96. Horse farm near Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir 151

Plate 97. Manor stables at Arques-la-Bataille, Seine-Inferieure 153

Plate 98. Manor at Esclarelles, Seine-Inferieure 153

Plate 99. Manor at Croixdalle, Seine-Inferieure 1 5 5

Plate 100. Inn near Bourdamville, Seine-Inferieure 155

Plate ioi. Chateau de Bemecourt, Eure . - 1 57

Plate 102. Sixteenth-century manor, Monteille, Calvados 157

Plate 103. Gateway, Manoir d'Ango, Varengeville, Seine-Inferieure 159

Plate 104. Entrance to courtyard, Manoir d'Ango, Varengeville, Seine-Inferieure . . . 159

Plate 105. Farmhouse near Yerville, Seine-Inferieure 161

Plate 106. Manor near Lintot, Seine-Inferieure 161

Plate 107. Manor at Omverville, Seine-et-Oise 163

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Plate 108. Stables near Brecy, Calvados 165

Plate 109. Farmyard near Brecy, Calvados 165

Plate iio. Farmyard, St. Jean-de-Follerville, Seine-Inferieure 167

Plate hi. Farm building near St. Leger, Saone-et-Loire 167

Plate 112. Farmyard near Brezolles, Eure-et-Loir 169

Plate 113. Stable near Brezolles, Eure-et-Loir 169

Plate 114. Farmhouse at St. Pierre-le-Viger, Seine-Inferieure . 171

Plate 115. Farm building near Brezolles, Eure-et-Loir 171

Plate 116. Entrance court fagade, Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux, Calvados . . . . 173

Plate 117. Entrance, Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux, Calvados 175

Plate 118. General plan of Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux, Calvados 177

Plate 119. Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux, Calvados 179

Plate 120. Farm near St. Leger, Saone-et-Loire 179

Plate 121. Chateau le Pin, Calvados 181

Plate 122. Stables of the Chateau Cheverny . . . .183

Plate 123. Stable building, Chateau du Bouissard, near Brezolles 185

Plate 124. Chateau de Saint-Germain-de-Livet, Calvados 187

Plate 125. Chateau de Cantepie-Lisieux 189

Plate 126. Entrance to Chateau at Couchey, Cote-d'Or 191

Plate 127. Stable-yard, Millancay, Loir-et-Cher 191

Plate 128. Farmhouse at Monthelon, Saone-et-Loire 193

Plate 129. Farmhouse near Le Neubourg, Eure 195

Plate 130. Farmhouse at Monthelon, Saone-et-Loire 195

Plate 131. Chateau near Millancay, Loir-et-Cher . 197

Plate 132. Horse-farm courtyard near Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir 197

Plate 133. Chateau de Villepreaux, Creuse ■ 199

Plate 134. Farm near St. Leger, Saone-et-Loire 201

Plate 135. Farm near St. Leger, Saone-et-Loire 203

Plate 136. House near Vic-sur-Cere, Cantal 205

Plate 137. Farm near Gourdon, Lot 207

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Plate 138. Manoir Duval near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure 207

Plate 139. Farm near Gourdon 209

Plate 140. Farm group near Rambouillet, Seine-et-Oise . . . 211

Plate 141. Stable-yard near Demigny, Saone-et-Loire 211

Plate 142. Farm near La Remuee, Seine-Inferieure 213

Plate 143. Mill near Murat, Cantal 213

Plate 144. Farm near Domme, Dordogne ; .... 215

Plate 145. Farm group near Gourdon, Lot 215

Plate 146. Farmhouse near St. Cyprien, Dordogne Valley .......... 217

Plate 147. Manor at Vaucelles, Calvados 219

Plate 148. Gatehouse of Chateau de Royalhen, South Compiegne 221

Plate 149. House at St. Symphories, Tours 223

Plate i 50. House at St. Symphories, Tours 223

Plate 151. Plan of manor near Libourne, Gironde 225

Plate 152. Garden elevation of manor near Libourne, Gironde . . 227

Plate 153. Section and details of manor near Libourne, Gironde . 229

Plate 154. Farm entrance, manor near Demigny, Saone-et-Loire . .- . . . . . .231

Plate 155. Stable near St. Emilion, Gironde 231

Plate 156. Manor at Arques-la-Bataille 233

DETAILS

Plate 157. Farm-gate near La Remuee, Seine-Inferieure 237

Plate 158. Pigeon-house at La Grande Verriere, Saone-et-Loire 239

Plate 159. Pigeon-house, Manoir Duval, near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure 239

Plate 160. Pigeon-house near Brezolles, Eure-et-Loir 241

Plate 161. Pigeon-house near Chartres 243

Plate 162. An octagonal pigeon-house 245

Plate 163. Balustrade at Billom, Puy-de-D6me 247

Plate 164. Window grille, Manoir d'Ango, Varengeville, Seine-Inferieure 247

Plate 165. Loggia, Manoir d'Ango, Varengeville, Seine-Inferieure 249

xii

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Plate 166. Detail, house at Verneuil, Eure 249

Plate 167. Bridge at Vendome, Loir-et-Cher 251

Plate 168. Garden-gate, Chateau de Sorel, Dreux, Eure 253

Plate 169. Farm-gate near St. Jean-de-Follerville, Seine-Inferieure 255

Plate 170. Gate from garden to farm, Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux 255

Plate 171. Farmhouse doors, Monthelon, Saone-et-Loire 257

Plate 172. Gate near Evreux, Eure 259

Plate 173. Farm-gate near St. Jean-de-Follerville, Seine-Inferieure 259

Plate 174. Farm-gate near La Remuee, Seine-Inferieure 261

Plate 175. Doorway at Le Mans, Sarthe 263

Plate 176. Doorway at Arnay-le-Duc, Cote-d'Or 263

Plate 177. Door at Billom, Puy-de-D6me 265

Plate 178. Church entrance at Honfleur, Seine-Inferieure 267

Plate 179. Farm entrance near Lintot, Seine-Inferieure 267

Plate 180. Detail of stone garden-gate of house at Brion, Saone-et-Loire 269

Plate 181. Garden-gate, Arnay-le-Duc, Cote-d'Or 271

Plate 182. Garden-gate, Montfort, Seine-et-Oise 273

Plate 183. Entrance to Chateau de St. Georges, Montagne, Gironde 275

xni

SMALL FRENCH BUILDINGS

The "minor architecture of France, of which this book can unfortunately cover
but a small part, comprises a field worthy, we believe, of further study and atten-
tion. It is astonishing that these small buildings have received so little attention
as compared with similar types of other countries, notably of Italy and of England,
in regard to which a considerable number of books are available. Why these
buildings of France have not been more sought out and preserved in publica-
tion, it is difficult to say. Perhaps it is because France seems so distinctly a coun-
try of monumental architecture, that its lesser and more modest buildings of the
country and the provinces have come little to the attention of the student; per-
haps because the finer examples are quite widely scattered, so that any collec-
tion of such material must of necessity be difficult. In gathering the pictures
and other data, we covered, on foot and cycle, the sections of France that seemed
most full of promise: Normandy, Brittany, the Cote-d'Or, the Dordogne section,
and the fertile valleys of the interior. Of course it was impossible to reap the full
harvest even of the parts visited, and we know that a vast mass of excellent ma-
terial remains untouched as yet. It is hoped that some time soon most of it may
be gathered together in published form, for much that is worth while disappears
year by year.

In choosing our material, we have purposely avoided the chateaux, particularly
those familiar ones of the Loire valley, as well as the larger and better-known
buildings in general. Our idea has been to include only the smaller chateaux,
quite unfamiliar ones off the beaten track, the manors, the farm groups, and the
cottages of the peasants. At first there was every intention to omit all churches,
but in Normandy and often elsewhere it was quite impossible to resist photo-
graphing the quaint little churches and chapels that fit in so well with the coun-
try, the people, and the surrounding hamlets. And now it is as impossible to re-
frain from including a few of these. The majority of the photographs we took
ourselves, so for their quality we can hold to account only ourselves and the fickle
weather of France. A few pictures we bought and a few very interesting ones have
been contributed by Mr. Philip L. Goodwin, to whom our thanks are given.

There is no truer mirror of a people and a civilization than their informal ar-
chitecture. ' In it there has been no attempt at artificial effect and very small
obeisance to the passing fashions. The buildings of the French farmer, the small
landowner, and the peasant, are as indigenous to their soil as the poplar-trees and
poppies in the fields. The Frenchman is and always has been a lover of fine words,
of gay colors, of flowered gardens, of piquancy, and of originality. So, too, are his

SMALL FRENCH BUILDINGS

buildings: original, full of piquant interest, often gay of color, and invariably set
around with hedge and flowers.

The variety of types — the chateaux, the manors, farms, and peasant cottages
— reflect the state of society in the past, those widely divergent conditions of wealth
which existed and still exist to a lesser extent. Then, too, we can discern the in-
fluences that the bordering states have had, where the sections were once under
the control of some neighbor country, as, for instance, in Normandy, where the
rural types of buildings are distinctly English in character and material; and on
the southern slopes, where the influence of Italy can everywhere be seen. The
path of the Renaissance remains clearly visible, where it swept up from Italy and
Spain, fading out in the less accessible regions, until in the remote sections of Brit-
tany the earlier or Gothic forms remain clearly predominant.

We are hopeful of the utility and of the pleasant savor of this material to any
lover of good building — for its very freshness and playful originality, if for nothing
else. There are a great many suggestions of value in these old types, most impor-
tant perhaps in the roof shapes, the compositions of masses, and the fitness of
house for setting. Color, unfortunately, cannot be reproduced, and many of the
buildings are particularly of interest in their color and the tones of their ma-
terials. In the introductory notes before each group, an attempt has been made to
convey as much as possible of the effect of the materials and of noteworthy de-
tails. Most particularly the thick stone walls, dry, buttered, or stuccoed, the
broken masses of the roofs, the placing of chimneys and dormers, the fenestration,,
and the use of casements are features worthy of careful note. . The usual French
house has little to offer in the way of valuable suggestion for modern house arrange-
ment, so we have thought best to omit any study of such plans from the ma-
terial. However, two plans are included, both very interesting in their general,
scheme. That of the Chateau Brecy shows an excellent use of a sloping site
for a walled garden in a series of ascending terraces; and that of a manor near
Libourne, by the use of a grassed terrace, moat, and four immense linden-trees,
has made very effective use of a practically flat site. Regarding detail, we have
omitted any serious presentation, realizing that one of the most important sug-
gestions we find in the minor French buildings, is that detail of elaborateness and
quantity has not been needed.

Any one viewing a French village from a point of vantage, must remark on the
manner in which it nestles into the surrounding country, forming a part and
parcel of the land, and not staring out from the green earth like a blotch on the
landscape. Age, of course, has had much to do with this quiet and agreeable re-
sult, but even more important are the materials that have been used in construc-
tion. In most cases they are strictly local: the stone from the near-by field or
brook, thatch from the meadow, or slate from the hillside quarry close by. There-
fore, it is quite natural that the buildings are but a more definitized, more human-

SMALL FRENCH BUILDINGS

ized form of the country about, built into rambling, picturesque shapes peculiarly
suited to their sites, and in time covered with moss and vine. Then, too, the small
towns and isolated buildings have not suffered from the disadvantages of eclec-
ticism, except in a lew unfortunate places; and all seem to go very pleasantly to-
gether, mildly ruled by tradition, no matter their age. Any student of town
planning would do well to see in these French towns what variety may be at-
tempted, what controlled spontaneity of design employed, and yet what a con-
gruous whole, obtained.

The farm group is also particularly suggestive; to-day we have much of this
sort of building. The typical French farm group, comprising numerous build-
ings, was almost invariably built around a court, very wide, walled about and
planted with "espalier" fruit-trees. The informality of the grouping of the vari-
ous buildings, the roof masses, walls, and entrance-gateways have many sug-
gestions to offer. For country houses, the smaller, more informal chateaux, the
manors as well as the larger farm buildings, are valuable for ideas of mass, materials,
and details.

It is our hope that others may appreciate these little buildings and find in
them some freshness and inspiration. And we can recommend, from pleasant and
profitable experience, this simple sort of architecture to any one who may find
himself in France, as being not so impressive as cathedrals or as magnificent as
palaces, but very worth while. For in its quest, one learns to love the people,
their songs and laughter, their wheat-fields and poppies, quite as fully as their
buildings. We hope that this book may bring something new and refreshing
and stimulate an enlivened interest in a field rather neglected and yet very worthy
of study.

COTTAGES

Under this head have been grouped the small cottages of the peasant farmer,
which have little architectural detail of any sort but the charm of utter sim-
plicity, of wonderful color, and exact fitness for their settings. Along the white
roads of France and through the fields, these little cottages snuggle down behind
their hedges and flower-gardens, so old and softened in line and color that they
seem a very part of the land itself. The roof lines are long and soft, and the build-
ings seldom more than one story and a half in height. The most usual arrangement
consists of two main rooms: — a combination living-room and kitchen, and a bed-
room— or maybe two — while the loft above is accessible only from an outside stair-
way and opening, and is chiefly for storage. Each room has an ample fireplace,
and the kitchen contains the large bake-oven.

The materials of construction are in general strictly local, and the resulting
uniformity is largely accountable for the artistic charm of the small French vil-
lage. In the north are found the thatched roofs and half-timber construction
along the farm roads, while nearer the towns there are more cottages of brick
with pan-tile roofs. In Brittany there are many picturesque little cottages of
stone, or stone podged over with stucco, with gabled, thatched, or slate roofs, and
the small amount of detail more Gothic than aught else. The forms of the thatched
cottages seem almost to have been inspired by the long, soft, hipped lines of the
carefully stacked haymows; and the roofs themselves, often green with moss or
with the ridges a growing mass of fleurs-de-lis, of course, blend beautifully with the
landscape.

In central France are found many brick or white walled cottages with tile or
thatch roofs, while in the southern parts most buildings have the flavor and sug-
gestion of Italy or Spain, with large expanses of white stucco walls, symmetrically
placed openings, and roll tile roofs with wide overhangs at the eaves, as illustrated
in Plates 35 and 36.

Among the illustrations, Plate 3 shows a Brittany cottage of roughly faced local
stone and thatched roof, as does Plate 30. The thatch ridge has blossomed forth
in flowers, and though the wall has been patched out, the effect is snug and pleas-
ing in line. Plate 5 is an example of a brick cottage set down behind its garden
and buried in vines. The hipped end of the roof is carried down nearly to the
ground in a shed roof. Plates 8, 9, 14, and 17 are examples of half-timbered cot-
tages, the half-timber frieze in the cottages near Beuzeville and Totes being often
seen in such little buildings. The cottage at Quievercourt on Plate 23 has an
unusual treatment of the chimney, buttresses flanking its base, while Plate 29
shows a decorated brick-and-stone treatment of the chimney. The overhanging
eaves at the end shelter the stairway to the loft.

Plate 4. Typical old Brittany cottage

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Plate 8. Roadside cottage near Beuzeville, Eure

Plate a. Cottage at Luneray, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 12. Cottage near Totes, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 13. Farm cottage near Beaufay, Sarthe

Plate 14. Cottage near Totes, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 18. Hamlet near L'Amaury, Seine-et-Oise

Plate 19. Cottage near Amfreville, Eure

Plate 20. Farm at Bieville-en-Ange, Calvados

Plate 21. Roadside cottage near Authon, Eure-et-Loir

Plate 22. Hamlet near Yerville, Seine Inferieure

Plate 23. Cottage near Quievercourt, Seine Inferieure

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Plate 27. An entrance to Montfort, Seine-et-Oise

Plate 28. Village street, Montfort, Seine-et-Oise
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Plate 32. Farmhouse at Marolles, Calvados

Plate 33. House in the Dordogne Valley

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Plate 35. Cottage near Ste. Foy-la- Grande, Gironde

Plate 36. Cottage near Bergerac, Dordogne

CHURCHES AND CHAPELS

Somewhere in the vicinity of the chateaux of France there grew up villages
where livedthe peasants dependent on the great families for their hire. The chapel
or church was built to fill the needs of these little communities and the surround-
ing district, sometimes forming one of the buildings of the chateau group proper,
or else being near by at the cross-roads in the chateau hamlet.

A Normandy type, of which Plates 38, 42, and 45 are good examples, is par-
ticularly interesting for gabled towers, a treatment capable of excellent and vari-
able proportions. The tower of the chapel near Brecy has a chunky, solid shape,
that at Vaucelle a feeling of more taper and grace, while the tower of the chapel
at Gratot reaches up to the sky like a lofty sentinel. The towers are placed at
different points on the plans, over the crossing, astride the ridge, and at the en-
trance. Other examples would show the same freedom and variety. It is inter-
esting to note the impressiveness of these simple towers and their grace of line, the
latter due for the most part to the proper use of battered sides. The window
openings are minimum even in the belfry, lending a solidity to the massive walls.
The texture of the gray stone walls and their proportions seem to be of sufficient
value to give them architectural excellence. The battering of the walls in most
cases made buttresses unnecessary from a constructive standpoint.

The little chapel at Romorantin is very attractive in its setting, and in design
represents simplicity itself; while the chateau chapel at Millancay, with its round-
headed, white-trimmed windows, and truly Georgian cupola, seems very suggestive
of our buildings of the Georgian period.

Some stray influence created the church at Daoulas (Plate 43) with its very
quaint and unusual gable and belfry of rather Belgian design. Plate 46 shows a
very picturesque grouping of roofs — flat slate roofs with the roll-tile ridges. The
interiors of these simple churches are not so worthy of comment. Except for the
utter simplicity of their podged or plastered walls and the unadorned rafters and
ties, grown gray with age, there is little to note.

Plate 37. Chapel at Romorantin, Loir-et-Cher

Plate 38. Farm chapel near Brecy, Calvados
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Plate 44. Pont Audemer, Eure

Plate 45. Chapel at Chateau Gratot, near Coutances, Manche

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TOWN HOUSES

The buildings included under this title are chiefly those of the smaller towns,
although one or two houses included were found in cities, sometimes incongruously
jammed between more pretentious and modern structures.

The roof is considered a most important part of the design, as in the country,
giving to the small old town the broken silhouette so usual in France, a picturesque
medley of gabled, hipped, and mansard roofs, cut with dormers, crowned with
finials, and broken with multitudinous chimney-pots. In many of the old towns the
streets are narrow and cobbled, meandering up the natural slopes and often end-
ing in picturesque courts and "cul-de-sacs." In the old half-timbered towns these
narrow streets, lined with the ancient stucco and wood houses, are fascinating in
color, their grays and yellows set off with bright flowers in window-pots. But
they are either difficult to photograph or much of the effect depends on the whole
pleasantly jumbled mass and few of the individual houses present in themselves
enough value to include.

The lower or street floor, almost invariably flush with the cobbles of the street,
is usually given over to a shop or more often a cafe, and the floor above to the
quarters of the patron and his family. The interiors, save for the refreshing
coolness and bright bebottled cupboards, present little of interest. The chief at-
tempt at architectural interest occurs in the carved dormers, turrets, corbels, in
finials and in some instances in the elaborated carving of the timber of the whole
facade. The majority of the half-timbered buildings are Gothic, the detail having
a quaintness and piquancy seldom found in ecclesiastical work. Rarely is there
any attempt whatsoever at symmetry; in fact, there seems to have been a com-
plete abhorrence of it, resulting in much picturesqueness. Some of the interest-
ing features of the subjects included are as follows:

Plate 47 is a stone shop in Brittany with the chief interest centred in an elabor-
ately carved stone dormer; Plate 48 an early Gothic gable end with wide wall sur-
faces, heavily accented belt courses, and unusual double ogival curves over the
windows; Plate 53 shows an interesting contrast between the narrow richly carved
half-timbered house and the more simple and generous corner house adjacent to it.
Brick and flint pattern work has been used on the gable end of the little house on
Plate 59, the contrast between the salmon color of brick and weathered stone not
being too strong in reality.

That it is possible to obtain an excellent effect by simple means, is shown by
Plate 60, where plain wall surface, broken only in heavy courses of corbels, has

TOWN HOUSES

been so proportioned that there is much charm in the effect. Note that in the
building in Plate 62 the overhanging- second-story porch is nicely carried on wood
brackets, and below, that the openings have Gothic arches. On Plate 63 is an
example of a symmetrical design which has been given an informal character by
the materials themselves, buttered stone walls and irregular pan-tile roofing. The
loggia is an interesting feature, Italian in character, with a beamed ceiling, though
it has been unfortunately marred by modern window-sash.

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Plate 48. House at Landerneau, Finistere
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Plate 49. House at Landerneau, Finistere

Plate 50. Hotel des Trois Piliers, Landerneau, Finistere

Plate 51. House at Hennebont, Morbihan
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Plate 53. Le Mans, Sarthe
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PLATE 54. On the ramparts, Mont St. Michel, Manche

Plate 55. Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir
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Plate 57. House at Compiegne, Oise

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Plate 59. House at Verneuil, Eure

Plate 60. An old town house
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Plate 71. House at Arnay-le-Duc, Cote-d'Or
113

CHATEAUX, MANORS, AND FARM

GROUPS

The buildings illustrated in this chapter are those which through some pre-
tense of elegance or size cannot be classed as cottages or peasant buildings. They
form themselves into three general groups: chateaux, manors, and the larger farms
or farm groups. It is in these types that perhaps the more interesting studies of
French rural architecture exist, for the fact that in them is discernible a more or
less conscious attempt at a truly architectural design, differentiating them at once
from the simpler dwellings, where the result, however attractive, has been arrived
at by unconscious native artistry and the pleasant combination of local materials.

The chateaux illustrated are few in number, for it has been our idea to avoid
buildings of any great pretension, the ones included being the smaller ones in
most cases.

Chateau Gratot, on Plate 75, is just such a one, a group of buildings around a
court, unsymmetrical except for the farm buildings flanking the entrance. The
chateau is one of those early Normandy examples, quite mediaeval in every way.

The Chateau Brecy, a Renaissance group, near Bayeux in Calvados, shown on
Plates 116, 117, 118, and 119, is the most elaborate chateau that has been included.
The buildings, however, are small and comparatively little known, though they
form, with the gardens, an unusually complete and beautiful whole. The most
interesting feature is the plan, owing to the use of the sloping site with a walled
garden of ascending terraces, rising up to a richly ornamented gateway, which
opens toward farm lands beyond. No element of symmetrical treatment has been
omitted, except slight variations in the court facades of the farm buildings which
flank the entrance-court. As may be seen from the plates, the stone detail of
gateway, doorways, and other detail has been richly and beautifully carved. In
the garden the wall treatment of the lowest terrace with Doric and Ionic pilasters,
the arrangement of terraces, the detail of gates, steps, and walls, have been at-
tractively handled.

Chateau le Pin (Plate 121) has well-proportioned and nicely composed facade,
made lively with the contrasting bands, quoins, and panels of stone and brick.
Note that the fenestration of the central pavillion is not symmetrical, and yet the
result, judging from the photograph, has been insured thereby from being too dry.

Plate 132 shows an interesting and original wrought-iron gateway, effective
against the chateau beyond, which itself is rather good in mass and composition.
The design of the chateau is attributed to J. H. Mansart.

115

CHATEAUX, MANORS, AND FARM GROUPS

Chateau de St. Germain-de-Livet (Plate 124) is a sixteenth-century building of
composite architecture. The chateau proper has its wall in that colorful pattern
of flint and salmon-pink bricks, very effective play of color resulting, if the eye is
not distracted by too much of it at a time.

Plate 125, a sketch of the Chateau de Cantepie, shows the original building
with the towered pavillion of more modern design at the left rear, which has the
style but not the character of the old portion. The facade in the sketch suggests a
very excellent and clever treatment for a two-and-a-half-story house, the breaking
of the eaves over the second-story windows and under the dormers serving to tie
the composition together in an attractive manner. Note the use of high finials
at the peak of the dormer roofs.

Manors, smaller than chateaux as a rule and more pretentious than simple
farmhouses, are scattered throughout the length and breadth of France. They
were built after the passing of Feudalism by the more prosperous independent
farmers who, without being of noble birth, had yet more position and wealth than
the peasants. It is in this type of building that many fine examples exist, for a
definite attempt at design has been made without the more formal pretensions of
a chateau. The buildings usually are several: a main dwelling and farm buildings
flanking a court, detached or connected with a masonry wall, as well as an entrance-
lodge or gateway and other isolated buildings, such as pigeon-houses or well-
houses. The use of the court wall tends to tie the whole together and has brought
about many interesting effects. Such a result is illustrated on Plate 72, where
the wall between the flanking farm buildings has been carried the full height of
the building wall. The continuity of the eave-line is largely accountable for the
pleasing result.

The encircling wall of the manor near Demigny, also shown on Plate 154, has
been capped with tile roofing. Note the main arched entrance for farm vehicles
and the smaller entrance at the side for pedestrians.

The manor near Li bourne (Plates 151, 152, 153) is of the southern or Italian
type. On account of the thick trees set about it and on the garden terrace it was
almost impossible to photograph. The raised grass terrace enclosed with a balus-
trade and bordered with a moat is the most attractive and unusual feature. There
are four big linden-trees on the terrace, spaced carefully in relation to the terrace
and house, which add much interest to the garden side of the building.

The garden-house near Hennebont, on Plates 74 and 76, overlooks the Blaret
River. The loggia treatment with brackets to the garden-wall, the quaint mansard
roof, overhanging dormer roofs, and little tower make a very pleasing composition.

The farmhouse at St. Pierre-le-Viger, shown on Plates 83 and 114, is an exam-
ple of the larger type of farm that has numerous buildings connected by a wall
forming a very large court planted with an orchard of fruit-trees. Though the
buildings are not symmetrical in mass or location, there is an axis line established

116

CHATEAUX, MANORS, AND FARM GROUPS

through the entrance-gates and the main farm residence, and the planting of the
trees has been balanced on this axis. The farmhouse at Esclarelles, on Plate 85,
shows an unusual beaver-tail roof, which carries down close to the ground. The
farmhouse, on Plate 90, has a good treatment of mass for a sloping site and shows
the frieze-board usual in that locality over the windows, and a rather typical open
shed for vehicles. In the farm group, on Plate 95, is a good example of the farm-
court, beyond the entrance-pavilion, with the flanking sheds and farmhouses,
barns, etc., forming the other sides of the square. There is something well knit
and at the same time picturesque about these groups.

The manor at Arques-la-Bataille (Plates 97 and 156) is the rather well-known
Normandy manor, where the stable shown on the plate is almost a replica of the
main dwelling, separated from it by a garden. The stepped gables and nicely
fenestrated facades have been enlivened by the judicious use of flint inserts in pat-
tern and bands. Another example of such ornamentation of brickwork is shown on
Plate 99, the inserts in the cornice having more lively decorative effect than true
modillions. On Plate 105 is an example of brick set to form quoins and bands,
while Plate 106 shows an all-over wall pattern. The farm building near St. Leger
(Plate in) is interesting for its roof and mass, the photograph unfortunately
being valuable on that account only. Plates 112, 113, and 115 give a very good
idea of the half-timber work of Normandy, showing it to be truly structural.

The farm near Gourdon, in the province of Lot, Plate 145, has a very interest-
ing towered building for the residence of the farmer, while the sheds and barns
have been tied into the house with a long ridged roof whose eaves hug the ground.
Plate 144 shows the use of glazed tile in patterns on the roof, the ridge-lines set
off with white cement.

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Plate 75. Chateau Gratot, near Coutances, Manche

Plate 76. Garden-house near Hennebont, Morbihan

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Plate 78. Farm on Blaret River above Hennebont, Morbihan

Plate 79. House at Guiscard

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Plate 85. House at Esclarelles, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 86. Manor near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 89. Manor farmyard near Freulleville, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 90. Farmhouse near Lisieux, Calvados

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Plate 91. Farmyard side of manor near Bures, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 92. Manor gate near Bures, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 93. Farmyard, manor near Bures, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 94. Farm buildings, manor near Bures, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 95. Farm group near Neufchatel, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 96. Horse farm near Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir

151

Plate 97. Manor stables at Arques-la-Bataille, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 98. Manor at Esclarelles, Seine-Inferieure

153

Plate 99. Manor at Croixdalle, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 100. Inn near Bourdamville, Seine-Inferieure

155

Plate ioi. Chateau de Bemecourt, Eure

Plate 102. Sixteenth-century manor, Monteille, Calvados

157

Plate 103. Gateway, Manoir d'Ango, Varengcville, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 104. Entrance to courtyard, Manoir d'Ango, Varengeville, Seine-Inferieurt

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Plate 105. Farmhouse near Yerville, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 106. Manor near Lintot, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 108. Stables near Brecy, Calvados

Plate 109. Farmyard near Brecy, Calvados

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Plate iic. Farmyard, St. Jean-de-Follerville, Seine-Inferieure

Plate hi. Farm building near St. Leger, Saone-et-Loire

167

Plate ir. Farmyard near Brezolles, Eure-et-Loir

Plate 113. Stable near Brezolles, Eure-et-Loir

169

Plate 114. Farmhouse at St. Pierre-le-Viger, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 115. Farm building near Brezolles, Eure-et-Loir

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Plate 118. General plan of Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux, Calvados

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Plate 119. Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux, Calvados

Plate 120. Farm near St. Leger, Saone-et-Loire

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Plate 129. Farmhouse near Le Neubourg, Eure

Plate 130. Farmhouse at Monthelon, Saone-et-Loire

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Plate 131. Chateau near Millancay, Loir-et-Cher

Plate 132. Horse-farm courtyard near Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir

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Plate 140. Farm group near Rambouillet, Seine-et-Oise

Plate 141. Stable yard near Demigny, Saone-et-Loire

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Plate 142. Farm near La Remuee, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 143. Mill near Murat, Cantal

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Plate 144. Farm near Domme, Dordogne

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Plate 145. Farm group near Gourdon, Lot

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Plate 147. Manor at Vaucelles, Calvados

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Plate 148. Gatehouse of Chateau de Royalhen, South Compiegne

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Plate 149. House at St. Symphories, Tours

Plate 150. House at St. Symphories, Tours

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Plate 151. Plan of manor near Libourne, Gironde
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Plate 154. Farm entrance, manor near Demigny, Saone-et-Loire

Plate 155. Stable near St. Emilion, Gironde

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DE T A I LS

Among the miscellaneous details which present the most interest are gateways,
of which there are found chiefly two varieties — the large gateway or pavillion
which usually forms the entrance to the farmyard or court of a manor or large
farm group, and the smaller garden gateway, not intended for the passage of
vehicles. There are included several examples of each. Plates 169, 173, and 174
are examples of the entrances to farmyard or court, and Plates 168, 170, 180, and
181 are good examples of the types of garden gates. The bold moulding in the
gate illustrated on Plate 180 is in harmony with the adjacent rubble wall, and the
split pediment, undoubtedly for planting, is of interest. We were very much pleased
with the discovery of the thatched farm entrance on Plates 157 and 174, which is
such an unusual and altogether charming combination. The gateway shown on
Plate 173 illustrates the horizontal striped treatment of brick and stone, typical
of Normandy. The massive stone gate-posts forming the entrance to the court of
Chateau St. Georges on Plate 183, tremendous in scale and of bold and unusual
detail, have an impressiveness that a designer of to-day would find hard to origi-
nate.

Plate 168, a carved stone Renaissance gateway, suggestive of Italian design,
represents the more elaborate garden design, while the gates on Plates 181 and 182
illustrate a bolder, simpler style of less pretentious gardens. There are several
excellent gateways on the terraces of Chateau Brecy, the one shown on Plate 170
being at the end of the ascending terraces on axis with the house and opening out
from the uppermost garden wall to the farm lands beyond.

Besides the gateways, interesting details are doorways, pigeon-houses, well-
heads, and such occasional details as the balustrade at Billom with its use of
masques and crisp balusters. The pigeon-house seems to have been an almost
indispensable part of a farm group, being invariably a picturesque feature, dis-
tinct by itself of each farm court. The circular pigeon-house at La Grande
Verriere on Plate 158 has an unusual curved flight of stone steps supported by a
stone column, while the one at the Manoir Duval shows a rather elaborate brick
corbelled cornice and stocky solid proportion. Both of these are circular in plan,
one of stucco and the other of brick, while Plate 160 shows an example of an
octagonal cut stone tower, with a conical tile roof, which changes again to an
octagonal-shaped base below a round cupola.

235

Plate 157. Farm-gate near La Remuee, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 161. Pigeon-house near Chartres
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Plate 162. An octagonal pigeon-house
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Plate 165. Loggia, Manoir d'Ango, Varengeville, Seine Inferieure

Plate 166. Detail, house at Verneuil, Eure

249

Plate 167. Bridge at Vendome, Loir-et-Cher
251

Plate 168. Garden-gate, Chateau de Sorel, Dreux, Eure

253

Plate 169. Farm gate near St. Jean-de-Follerville, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 170. Gate from garden to farm, Chateau de Brecy, near Bayeux

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Plate 172. Gate near Evreux, Eure

Plate 173. Farm-gate near St. Jean-de-Follerville, Seine-Inferieure

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Plate 178. Church entrance at Honfleur, Seine-Inferieure

Plate 179. Farm entrance near Lintot, Seine-Inferieure

267

Plate 180. Detail of stone garden-gate of house at Brion, Saone-et-Loire

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Full text of "Small French buildings; the architecture of town and country, comprising cottages, farmhouses, minor chateaux or manors with their farm groups, small town dwellings, and a few churches"

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